People on the Move: DWF; Frontline Healthcare; GHP Legal; Irwin Mitchell Private Wealth; BLM; Pierce

Litigation partner Graham Dagnall has been appointed executive partner for DWF’s Liverpool office.

Mr Dagnall has led DWF’s national litigation practice group from the Liverpool office for more than 10 years.

DWF began in Liverpool in 1977 and has since grown significantly to become an international legal business with offices across the world, however, Liverpool remains an important city for the business.

As well as providing expertise across the key sectors of insurance, transport, public sector, retail, food and hospitality, energy and financial services, the Liverpool office is also home to a centre of excellence for motor claims, a real estate and real estate finance team which undertakes City of London work for a number of high profile clients and a strong corporate services and litigation offering, including telecoms.

Mr Dagnall’s role as executive partner will see him drive the strategic growth and direction of the office as well as continuing to build and shape the business’s profile in the region. He will lead on employee engagement, client service and corporate social responsibility work in the local community.

He said: “I am very proud to take on the role of executive partner for DWF in Liverpool, the place where my career and the business began.

“We have an excellent team in Liverpool and we are in a strong position to continue expanding our offering by taking advantage of the local talent in the city; identifying growth opportunities from both the local and national market to attract work into Liverpool.

“This will be done in conjunction with building even stronger links with DWF’s international teams in order to enhance our competitive advantage and deliver more value for clients.”

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Frontline Healthcare has announced that it is being joined by Stephen Ormerod in the role of finance director.

Rochdale-based Frontline, named as one of the fastest growing businesses is in the North West in Ward Hadaway’s recently published Fastest 50, has recently raised capital to accelerate the growth of its Chemist.co.uk online pharmacy business.

Mr Ormerod, with his proven track record in fast-growing, entrepreneur-led businesses, was finance director of Traveljigsaw, now trading as www.rentalcars.com, the car hire broker.

He said: “I am excited to join Frontline at such a crucial point in their growth and expect to see further, and more aggressive development very quickly.”

On the appointment, chief executive Brent Cutler said: “Stephen has a wealth of experience at scaling up ecommerce businesses and we welcome him to our team. He has a passion for business and his knowledge of online trading will help us get our business through the next stage of growth.”

Also joining the team is Liam Dawson, former managing director of a leading digital agency who brings more than 20 years’ experience as a digital strategist working with some of the world’s leading brands such as Puma and Danone.

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A law firm with offices in Wrexham, Llangollen, Chirk and Oswestry, has announced the appointment of two new partners.

GHP Legal, which ranks in The Legal 500 list of top UK law firms, has appointed Michael Keeling and Hywel Jones to its partnership, bringing the total number of partners to 12.

Based at the firm’s Oswestry office where he specialises in the acquisition and sale of agricultural, commercial and residential property, farmer’s son Hywel Jones hit news headlines in January 2017 when he made his debut with Cardiff RFC in their Challenge Cup game against Bridgend Ravens at the Arms Park. He joined GHP Legal in 2015.

The partners at GHP Legal

Michael Keeling, whose family have been in Chirk for many decades, joined GHP Legal in 2016 and more recently took over the running of the firm’s Chirk office following its merger with the long-established local practice of Stevens Lucas.

He deals with commercial and residential property transactions as well as handling private client, wills, trust and probate work.

Speaking about the firm’s latest appointments, senior partner Richard Lloyd, said: “GHP Legal already has a strong team of equity partners who are all experts in their own field. Hywel and Michael will be bringing to the table additional skills and energy that will enhance that team.”

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National law firm Irwin Mitchell Private Wealth has boosted the ranks of its Manchester family team with the arrivals of partner Katie McCann and senior associate Carole Nettleton.

Katie, who has joined the award-winning team as a partner from Kuits and who is a practicing barrister, is a specialist in handling high and ultra-high-value matrimonial finance matters.

Her expertise also includes pre- and post-nuptial agreements as well as cohabitation agreements.

Senior associate Carole Nettleton qualified in 1996 and advises clients on high-value divorce, dissolution of civil partnership and cohabitation issues, focusing on the financial aspects of the cases.

She has extensive experience of dealing with high-net-worth individuals involving complex pension issues, multiple businesses and family trusts.

The firm’s Manchester office has seen multiple exciting changes in recent months.

National head of family Ros Bever was named regional managing partner for the office in April, taking over from Roy Beckett. Ros will continue her work as a leading family and divorce law partner.

The office has also seen the establishment of a will, trust and estate disputes team with senior associate Nazia Nawaz heading up the outfit.

The two teams will work closely together to help North West clients with their disputes and with the wider private wealth team across the country.

Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester office has also recently seen the arrival of three new Court of Protection partners, new corporate partners, Victoria Zivkovic and Adam Kaucher.

Last month the firm announced it is to relocate in June 2018 from its current base at Bauhaus on Quay Street to One St Peter’s Square.

Ms Beckett said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Katie and Carole to the team. Both have excellent links in the North West and their arrival places the Manchester team firmly as one of the top outfits in the region for both quality and size.”

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Insurance risk and commercial law specialist BLM has celebrated the promotion of 16 new partners, at the start of its 2018/19 financial year across five of its business streams, including claims solutions, large loss & technical, specialty & financial lines, healthcare and Northern Ireland.

Lauren Gosnell, David Rainey and Louise Stubbs from the Manchester office have been made partner, while Steve Lynch in the Liverpool office was also promoted to partner.

The firm has also announced the promotion of a further 23 associates across BLM, including two within the positive change programme focusing on business improvement.

These promotions include lawyers across five of BLM’s business streams, in claims solutions, large loss & technical, speciality & financial lines as well as Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Matthew Harrington, senior partner at BLM, said: “This is excellent news to kick-off the financial year. The identification and nurturing of people at all levels is fundamental to what we do as a business.

“In making these appointments we are looking ahead to what the shape of the firm will be and this round of promotions demonstrates our commitment to talent management and succession planning.

“Our new partners have the commercial acumen and drive to work effectively with our client base and take the business forward by helping to inspire and develop our next generation of lawyers and future leaders.”

He concluded by saying: “The firm is changing, year-on-year, and these promotions reflect that. I congratulate our new partners and the teams with whom they work who will rightly celebrate their success, and look forward to seeing them bring their skills to bear and positively shape our future.”

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Lancashire-based accountancy and business advisory group, Pierce, has appointed chartered accountant Jimmy Moore to the role of audit and accounts senior.

Mr Moore, a former Sale Sharks rugby star whose career ended prematurely due to an ankle injury, joins Pierce from Preston-based Haleys Business Advisors.

With significant accounts, audit and business advisory expertise, he has worked with a wide range of Lancashire SMEs and brings more than eight years’ experience to the role.

The appointment comes at a time of growth for Pierce which is experiencing strong demand for its services across the region.

Director James King said: “Where business confidence and investment was subdued last year, 2018 is feeling markedly busier with mergers, acquisitions, MBO’s, expansion plans and business advisory requirements all on the rise.

“In order to grow our business and continue providing the best possible service to our clients, we are focused on attracting and retaining the very best people. As an experienced manager with a talent for building great rapport with clients, Jimmy will be a real asset to our team and we look forward to bringing him onboard.”

Mr Moore said: “Pierce has developed a solid reputation in Blackburn and Lancashire for quality professional advice and friendly client service. It is this simple ethos that sees the firm grow and makes it a fantastic place to develop professionally.

“The senior team is genuinely inspirational, and the client roster includes many high-profile businesses headed by talented entrepreneurs, so I look forward to getting started in my new role.”

Pierce specialises in business advice, tax, accounts, auditing, payroll and offers wealth advisory services. The firm says it is still keen to recruit experienced advisors and qualified staff to meet growing demand.

Jimmy Moore

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